Access to modern transceivers, especially mobile radio terminals which operate in accordance with the GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication) standard, and, respectively, their use in a mobile radio system is protected by a secret number, a so-called personal identification number (PIN). This also includes the protection of access to certain data or services even if these are not provided by the transceiver but by other devices in a computer network or communication network.
Probably the most frequent manner of inputting an authentication information item at present is by inputting it via a keypad of the device. After the input, the correctness of the information input, and thus the authorization of the inputting user is checked by a test facility,in the device or in a computer network or communication network. In the case of mobile radio terminals according to the GSM standard, this is done by a data processing facility in the user authentication module, the so-called SIM card of the transceiver, which checks whether the PIN that has been input matches the information stored in the SIM card. If this is so, the SIM card enables the mobile radio terminal for use. The security of the user is increased by the fact that, according to the GSM standard, the PIN must not be stored in the transceiver but may only be stored in inaccessible form on the SIM card.
Technologies allowing other forms of authentication of a user have been available for some time. These technologies are based on detecting user-specific biometric features by means of special sensors. An important example of this are sensors for detecting a fingerprint. Other biometric features such as, e.g. the retinal texture of the human eye or the characteristic of a human voice are also already used in some devices.
The features detected by the sensors are usually compared with known features of an authorized user in a data processing facility of the device or of a communication network and, if an adequate match is produced, access to the desired service, the required data or the selected device function is enabled.
In some device types, it appears to be reasonable to combine two types of authentication with one another. In the case of mobile radio terminals, for example, it is surely desirable that these cannot only be used by their owner by means of a fingerprint sensor but that other persons who were informed of the PIN or who would like to use the device with their own user authentication module, the SIM card, are capable of using it within the scope of the authorization which they have been allowed. In addition, the authentication by means of fingerprint could occasionally fail or be impossible to carry out, e.g. because the hands of the user are dirty or the user is wearing gloves. For these or similar reasons, it is desirable or necessary that one or more users of a device can authenticate themselves on this device via different ways. In these cases, biometric authentication should be possible in addition to authentication by PIN input. In the case of mobile radio terminals according to the GSM standard, there is also the fact that the standard mandatorily prescribes the possibility of authentication by PIN input.
The result of the situation described is that a use of conventional biometric authentication methods is not possible in mobile radio terminals according to the GSM standard because these mandatorily require authentication via the PIN with the SIM card for reasons of compatibility with the GSM standard. The possibility which at first appears to be available, of storing the PIN in the device and, when the check of the match of the detected fingerprint with the stored fingerprint of an authorized user is successful, transferring this stored PIN to the SIM card for testing, cannot be used because storage of the PIN in the mobile radio terminal at another place than within the SIM card is prohibited by the GSM standard for security reasons. In these cases, the biometric authentication could only be considered as an additional safeguard. However, such an additional safeguard is not required in view of the high security of the authentication of the PIN input and would probably not be acceptable by many users.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a transceiver which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantageous of the prior art apparatus of this general type. The transceiver enables a biometric user authentication to be combined, in a manner convenient for the user, with an authentication by inputting a secret number even in the case of mobile radio terminals according to the GSM standard or in similar types of cases.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention a transceiver, that includes: means for transmitting and receiving information selected from the group consisting of signaling information and user information; control means for placing the transceiver into different states including a plurality of off-states; an operating device for triggering changes between the different states; a user authentication module; means for performing a first user authentication which is based on an input secret number; means for performing a second user authentication which is based on a biometric method; and means for optionally switching the transceiver into the plurality of off-states which include: a first off-state in which essential elements of the transceiver and said user authentication module are not supplied with power, and a second off-state in which essential elements of the transceiver are not supplied with power and said user authentication module is supplied with power.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a transceiver that can optionally be placed into one of two different off-states of the device:
In the first off-state of the device, the user authentication module is not supplied with power. As a result, the comparison of a secret number stored in the user authentication module with a secret number which is input must be mandatorily carried out before a change into an on-state or before communication via the transceiver.
In the second off-state of the device, the user authentication module is already supplied with power. As a result, comparison of the input secret number and the stored secret number is not mandatorily necessary before communication via the transceiver. Thus, for a change from the second off-state of the device to an on-state of the device, in which communication via the transceiver is possible, a user authentication based on a biometric method can be taken as given.
Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a transceiver, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.